Handball

Though introduced in the modern Olympics in the 1936 games of Berlin, Handball is considered to be one of the oldest sports in the world, finding a mention in Homer's classic Odyssey. However, its modern version was developed in Germany, Denmark and Sweden in the late 19th century. From initially being played as an outdoor sport, it is now an indoor sport, and quite popular one at that. Over more than 75 years of its Olympic participation, its Soviet Union or Russia that leads the tally with 4 gold medals in its baggage, whereas there's a two-way tie between Yugoslavia and Denmark, each with 3 gold medals. In the last Olympic Games held in Beijing, it was France and Norway who tasted gold, in men and women handball competitions respectively. In the upcoming 2012 London Olympics, 168 men and 168 women, forming 12 teams in each category, will compete for the gold. The competition will be held at Olympic Park - Copper Box and Basketball Arena from 28th July to 12th August.